Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ventures across many iconic locations across the comics and movies. Director Sam Raimi brought us back to familiar locales like the Sanctum Sanctorum and new ones that we hadn't seen in the MCU before. One of these new places is where a large part of the third act is set, Mount Wundagore, a mysterious palace of demonic origins. After Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) successful assault on Kamar-Taj, Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong) leads her there to protect his fellow Sorcerers from her.
In the movie, Mount Wundagore is established as the place where the Book of the Damned was written, authored by an archaic demon named Chthon. This book became known as The Darkhold and the spells contained in it were carved along the walls of the mountain. The mountain was surrounded with runes and demonic bodyguards ready to serve and protect their prophesied Queen. This queen, of course, being the Scarlet Witch, the latest form of Wanda Maximoff, having gained the title in her spin-off WandaVision. This mountain makes for not just a visually interesting setting for a few action sequences, but it also has ties to much more than just Chthon. This mountain has served as the evil lair for so many people over the years because of its demonic properties. It's such a mystical place that it has ended up being a beacon in the Marvel Universe that connects the grounded Earth characters with the cosmic side of the universe.
At some point after Chthon, the mountain first became the home of a Skrull abandoned on Earth. This Skrull ended up consulting dark magic as a way to get back to his homeworld, earning him the reputation of being a sorcerer alien from the locals around the mountain. After that it became the home of Morgan Le Fay, a famous Doctor Strange villain. She used the mountain as a means to summon Chthon but her and her fellow Darkhold obsessed cultist did not have enough power to contain the demon.
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In more recent history, the land the mountain was on became owned by the father of Jack Russell, better known as Werewolf By Night. He ended up selling the land to men named Herbert Wyndham and Jonathan Drew, father of the future Spider-Woman Jessica Drew. While under the ownership of Wyndham is when the Mountain first interacted with the life of Wanda Maximoff.
In the comics, Wanda and Pietro's mother took shelter in Mount Wundagore while giving birth to the twins. The baby speedster and witch were then taken under the care of Bova, a highly evolved talking cow.
Now if that last sentence just gave you tonal whiplash, that is probably the correct reaction. It's definitely one of the stranger aspects of Wanda and Pietro's backstory, which is saying a lot, considering their inconsistent canonical parents and connection to Chaos Magic. Comic canon is a mess, and Wanda tends to end up being an unfortunate victim of that. But like everything in comics, even Bova has a backstory and a reason for being there. Because Herbert Wyndham is better known as the mad scientist "The High Evolutionary." And as far as what he did on that mountain… Well, have you ever heard of The Island of Doctor Moreau? Because that's more or less his whole deal.
The High Evolutionary was obsessed with evolving species, particularly animals. The result of this was him making an absolute barrage of animal-human hybrids. One of the most notable being Bova. Earth eventually proved to be too small for his grand schemes, and after his hybrid creatures received a crushing defeat from Thor, High Evolutionary decided it was time to leave the planet. After converting his evil lair on the mountain into a spaceship, he took himself and his creatures to create life on a place called Counter-Earth. Counter-Earth is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, just another version of Earth. Only this planet is ruled by him, and he filled it with his horrific animal hybrid creatures. He rules with an iron fist while raising his hybrids as the elite of the planet.
He's a pretty weird and out there villain, which is why the character mainly interacts with more space-based heroes instead of the X-Men. But his weird nature is also what allows him to be a strong connection between Wanda, Doctor Strange, and eventually the Guardians of the Galaxy.
This isn't to say that the Mysterious Mountain will directly connect with The High Evolutionary and the Guardians of the Galaxy in the films. But, there have been rumors that Peacemaker star Chukwudi Iwuji will be playing the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 since he was cast as that film's villain. With all of this in mind and with all the connections the mountain has to so many significant marvel heroes, it's unlikely Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going to be the last time this mystical mountain will grace the big screen. Wanda and America's battle may have blown up the altar of the Darkhold, but there's still much more to be mined from this location in the future.